It's a heartwarming beginning to the penultimate slice of action on Wisteria Lane, with the ladies comforting a tragically frail Karen in her hour of need and agreeing to look after her so she can die at home instead of at a hospice.
But this is Desperate Housewives and we're at the business end of a murder trial, so the heartwarming moments soon give way to lies, betrayal, sacrifice and some of the tensest moments in the history of the show - which is saying a lot.
The title 'Give Me The Blame', although nothing more than a Stephen Sondheim lyric, is so darn fitting for this episode - a relentless guessing game of who will be lumped with the murder of Ramon Sanchez.
Of course Bree is still the one on trial and is refusing to reveal Gaby's connection to the deceased, despite the pleas of her lawyer/love interest, Tripp. What she doesn't know is that Gaby is feeling more and more guilty as her defence goes south and Carlos is even prepared to reveal himself as the real murderer.
Though there's a slither of hope for Bree when Ben refuses to testify against her on the stand and is jailed as a result, things start to unravel when Renee pays him a visit.
An offhand comment about the night of the murder being the same one as the Wisteria Lane progressive dinner party makes Renee remember that she saw Bree acting suspiciously after their get-together. On her way out of jail she is approached by the DA, who has eavesdropped on her conversation with Ben and threatens to deport him if Renee doesn't testify against Bree.
Backed into a corner, Renee is forced to betray her friend and tells the court that on the night of Ramon's murder she saw Bree walking up her driveway covered in mud and carrying a shovel. The gasps of the jurors and the stunned, furious faces of the housewives all make for a wonderfully awkward scene. Why have the ladies not been on trial more often? Marc Cherry really knows how to create suspense in the courtroom - I wouldn't be against him launching some kind of legal drama now that Housewives is over.
The latest damning revelation is too much for Tripp, who demands Bree tell the truth about the murder so that he won't lose her to jail. The pair finally kiss and Bree confesses that Carlos is the culprit, but makes Tripp promise that he won't use the information against the Solis family.
Shockingly, that's exactly what he does. Gaby is called to give evidence again and reveals under Tripp's questioning the real identity of Ramon Sanchez and her connection to him. Bree desperately tries to call a recess and when one is not granted pretends to faint, bringing the trial to a halt. When Tripp runs over to comfort her, she spits at him to get away. I'm not a huge fan of the Bree character, but you have to admire her for trying to protect her friend even when she is essentially in the clear. After last week's episode I really thought Bree would screw Gaby over, and was kind of looking forward to it. But now I'm glad that's not the case.
Bree's sacrifice hasn't gone unappreciated by Gaby and Carlos either, as that night they fight over who will save her by confessing to Alejandro's murder. Gaby makes a case for herself by saying that the jury will be more likely to side with her as a victim of abuse. However, Carlos doesn't want the girls growing up without a role model - which is what Gaby has become.
Gotta agree with him there. This storyline has really allowed Gaby to complete her transformation from horrible to honourable. And her personality overhaul doesn't feel too forced either - I mean, she eventually gets her way through devious methods like she's always done, planting a knife on Carlos so that he gets held back by court security. The only difference is she's dropped her husband in it so she can go confess to a murder, instead of, say, running off for a shopping spree.
The thing is, someone else has got the same idea. See, Gaby and Carlos decided to have their bit of bickering while looking after Karen and the old dear has heard every word. Sticking on a wig and lugging around an oxygen tank, she convinces Tripp to let her give evidence by claiming that she is prepared to discredit Renee.
But when Karen takes the stand, she decides to show her gratitude to the housewives by confessing to Alejandro's murder in front of the whole court - because this episode apparently didn't have enough twists already. Realising that the case is lost, the DA drops the charges against Bree and decides not to press any against Karen because of her cancer. Everyone manages to get off scot-free and all is well. OK, so Bree can't bring herself to forgive Tripp yet but let's see how that progresses in the finale.
With the trial dominating proceedings this week, Susan and Lynette find themselves pushed to the outskirts, which is a bit strange given the gravitas of their storylines.
Susan is following through with her plan to leave Wisteria Lane, but can't bring herself to tell the girls. This leads to a classic bit of Housewives farce as Gaby turns up at the house while Lee is showing an elderly couple round, forcing Susan to pretend they are old friends from college. We're going to miss these kooky moments.
Lynette, meanwhile, has a bit of a rollercoaster this episode. Tom's now free and single, much to her delight, but when he shows up at her door he tells her that he's filing divorce papers so they can both get a fresh start. Naturally, this might make you scream at the TV for there being yet another stumbling block in front of the Scavos.
Thankfully, Roy is on hand to make Tom see sense. In a beautiful little scene, he talks about his love for Karen and reminds Tom that it's important to tell people how much they matter while you've still got a chance. Later, Lynette and Tom run into each other on a dark, deserted Wisteria Lane and Tom finally admits that he misses Lynette and describes her as the love of his life.
He bids her farewell, remembering his boss's words about her being in love with someone else. But before he can go far, Lynette stops him in his tracks by revealing that the mystery fellow is him. Slowly, they walk towards each other and passionately kiss. Thank goodness for that, eh?! Again, I thought they'd perhaps give more time to the big Scavo reunion since it's a plot that's been running just as long as the Alejandro murder saga. Having said that, the whole understated nature of it kind of worked. Maybe it would have been too sappy if, say, Lynette returned home to find the place covered in candles and flowers or something similar. This is probably just right. Anyway, I'm glad they're back together.
It's testament to the team behind Desperate Housewives that this episode turned out to be more than just filler before the grand finale. The trial stuff was terrific, a masterclass in rug-pulling. The conclusion to this juggernaut of a plot may not have been the most believable, but at least it's a happy one - and since after this episode there's only one hour of Housewives, we can forgive that. Tying up most of the major storylines in the penultimate instalment was a good idea, as now all that's left to do is celebrate this remarkable series and give it the send-off it deserves.
Desperate Discussions
- Have to note again just how great Roy was in this episode. I could really feel his distress at Karen leaving for the hospice.
- Also, "Hey, boy nurses!"
- Gabby's fictional basketball team 'The Turtles' - love it!
- Anyone just disturbed by Lee's ass lift? Or "perky fanny" as it's otherwise known.
- Lynette's favourite time is 8pm. What's yours?
- "A cup of Gabby" sounds like a fantastic name for a spinoff, doesn't it?
What did you think of the episode? Leave your comments below!
